A Woman Beyond Time: Mary Lou Williams at 100
featuring Bethany Pickens and Amina Claudine Myers

Jay Pritzker Pavilion, Millenium Park, Chicago, IL
August, 5 2010

Review by Brad Walseth, Photos by John Broughton, Copyright 2010

Women in jazz were often relegated in the past to the role of the attractive singer chirping away songs of love. Times have changed and now artists like Amina Figarova, Maria Schneider, Ingrid Jensen and more are more accepted as equals with their male peers. These modern artists have women like pianists and composers Lil Armstrong and Mary Lou Williams to thank for helping to chip away at barriers, which still admittedly exist. On Thursday, August 5, 2010, two modern jazz artists: Bethany Pickens and Amina Claudine Myers paid tribute to the late great Mary Lou Williams who would have been 100 this year.

Excitement was in the air on this pleasant evening, with President Obama visiting across the street, and the usual mix of tourists and music fans mingling in the park. Following a Jazz Links set with four young female musicians (and one boy) and Chicago Jazz Ensemble lead trombonist Audrey Morrison, Pickens started off with some solo piano Williams - her early hit single, "Drag 'Em" - which showed a pronounced ragtime influence. Bassist Marlen Rosenburg and drummer Charles "Rick" Heath joined in on a trio arrangement (by Pickens) of "Taurus" from Williams' "Zodiac Suite." This was followed by the bluesy swing of "A Grand Night For Swingin'" and a piece I believe was called "Latin Heart Lover" - which featured great walking bass by Rosenburg, a sizzling piano solo and Heath on drums.

The star-studded Windy City band and guest pianist Amina Claudine Myers (formerly from Chicago and an AACM member) joined in to produce an exuberant "Walking and Swinging" - with Pickens on the conductor's podium. Myers - whose work with "Bold Souls" was a highlight at the Jazz Fest two years ago - then began her original work honoring Williams: "Sweet Mary Lou." This number started off with some angular avant garde solo piano before the entire band kicked in. The orchestration recalled traditional swing, but was brought into modernity through Myers use of advanced harmonies. Vibraphonist (and director of the Mary Lou Williams Resurgence Project) Cecilia Smith, was featured prominently, and nearly all of the members of this exceptional group of musicians got into the act with solos on this freewheeling number. Solos varied from Ari Brown's assured and traditional tenor, James Perkins squealing away on his sax to Tito Carillo's smooth and soaring trumpet solo. Suddenly everything stopped and Juli Wood soloed alone on her alto. The sight and sound of one woman alone - soloing surrounded by (mostly) men was astonishing.

After the intensity of this interesting piece, Perkins led the big band in performing several of Williams' favorites. Of course, "Little Joe From Chicago" had to be one. This boogie-woogie number featured some of the reed players switching to clarinet and a fun sing along by the band. Two more selections from the "Zodiac Suite" followed. "Aries" started hard and fast, only to turn into a slow blues, with Ari Brown ripping it up again on tenor. "Scorpio" - which Williams arranged for Duke Ellington was mysterious and sultry. Veteran trumpeter Art Hoyle was given the spotlight on the lovely arrangement of the Hoagy Carmichael standard "Stardust" - which I thought Pickens called "Stardust and Peaches"?

Of course, Mary Lou Williams' most popular number is the delightful "The Land of Oo-bla-dee." Guitarist Curtis Robinson surprisingly took on the vocal duties and did a fine job - even showing a nice hand at scatting. Pharez Whitted, Audrey Morrison and Juli Wood took solos, and I suspect the latter two (along with bassist Rosenberg, vibraphonist Smith and Pickens and Myers) especially felt a debt of gratitude to the pioneering woman whose work they were celebrating on this beautiful night in Chicago. Congratulations to both Pickens and Myers (and Cecilia Smith and Dick Wang) for their hard work in presenting this heartfelt tribute.